Fugit Draconis
by JadedDana
Summary: Harry is suspicious of a certain Slytherin.


Fugit Draconis: Prelude  
By JadedDana  
  
  
"Hey Harry, I promised Colin I'd meet him for butterbeer at 2, but I'll   
catch up with you this evening, okay?" With a quick grin, Ginny gave Harry a   
quick one-armed hug and then skipped to meet her boyfriend. Harry's face fell   
as he looked ahead of him at Ron and Hermione, who, although only about 5 feet   
away, were very caught up in their own world. As the arm around Hermione's   
waist started to drop just a little lower, Harry ducked into a nearby shop. He   
could clearly tell when he wasn't wanted, and this was one of those times.  
  
At the beginning of this year, Ron and Hermione had started dating.   
Harry had been glad for them. Had being the key word. It was, as anyone   
would have expected, a volatile relationship, and Harry wasn't sure which was   
worse, when they were fighting, and he was stuck trying to listen to both sides,   
or when they were together, and he was most definitely third wheel. It didn't   
help that Parvati and Lavender were dating Dean and Seamus, respectively,   
leaving Harry alone more nights than not with Neville as the only other sixth-  
year Gryfindor. And while Neville was great, Harry missed his friends.  
  
Harry groaned as he realized what store he'd ducked into-a bookstore.   
Trust him to try and avoid Hermione in the one place that reminded him most of   
her. He tried to think of what to do with the rest of his afternoon in Hogsmeade.   
He could head over the Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes, visit the twins, but he   
didn't really feel all that up to joking. He could go to the Quidditch supply store,   
but then he might run into Dean, who had become the new keeper, and Harry   
didn't want to talk to any of his Housemates right now. He didn't want to talk to   
anyone. All he really wanted was his old life back-back in third year, when   
they were the Terrible Trio and no one could defeat them, back before Cedric and   
Hagrid.Harry turned around. Maybe in a bookstore at least they would let him   
alone for a while. No one would expect him there, after all.   
  
He wandered into a remote aisle, which looked like no one had been   
down it for quite a while. It also gave him a great view of both the door and the   
owner's desk, without being obvious. A great place to hide out for a while. He   
glanced idly over the shelves-Potions texts. No wonder no one had been in this   
corner of the store in ages-most likely, no had EVER been over here except   
Snape and Malfoy. Speak of the devil Harry thought to himself as the blond   
Slytherin entered the store, his arrogant sneer raising Harry's hackles   
immediately. Harry ducked quickly so the other boy wouldn't see him.  
  
Luckily, Malfoy bypassed the books entirely to head straight for the   
owner's desk. He whispered something to the man, who just nodded and   
headed into a small storage room. Malfoy just stood tapping his foot   
impatiently. After about 30 seconds, he pulled his backpack out and started   
looking through it as if he was expecting something to be missing. Come to   
think of it, what was MALFOY doing with a backpack? Normally only the   
Muggle-born students were seen with backpacks. All the Wizarding children   
used book bags which were worn over the shoulder instead of on the back. And   
why would he need either in Hogsmeade, unless he were planning to smuggle   
something back into the school? And why on earth would Malfoy need   
something from the storeroom of a run-down bookstore? This was something   
which definitely needed investigating.   
  
The man came out of the storeroom and handed Malfoy a small package   
wrapped in brown paper. Malfoy handled it gingerly as if afraid to touch it too   
much as he slipped it into the backpack. He handed the man a velvet pouch of   
what looked like quite a sizeable sum and headed for the door without a   
backward glance. Harry was determined to follow, but he paused for a moment.  
  
At the beginning of this year, the Headmaster had pulled Harry aside and   
suggested, in his usual roundabout way, that Harry carry his Invisibility Cloak   
with him everywhere he went but especially when he was off school grounds.   
Should there be an incident like there almost was fifth year, Harry would stand a   
much better chance at getting to Hogwarts and calling for help if he wasn't   
visible to the naked eye. Most of the professors were now aware that he had the   
Cloak, but it was worth it to be able to carry it on his person for occasions just   
like this. Harry just managed to catch the door before it shut-he hoped that the   
owner didn't notice the door hovering open several moments longer than it   
should have.  
  
For almost an hour and a half, Harry followed Malfoy from store to store,   
becoming more and more confused. At the robe shop, Malfoy picked up several   
outfits which, if he didn't know better, would have passed as Muggle styles. At   
Gringotts, Malfoy went to his father's vault to get several bags of Galleons.   
Harry, who had, invisibly, tagged along, was amazed at the vault. It contained   
hardly more coins than Harry's did, but it was practically overflowing with   
strange and doubtless priceless items. Harry was so enchanted with a dragon   
statuette of solid emerald that he was almost locked in the vault. Malfoy didn't   
just leave, though-he had the sacks exchanged, although Harry didn't hear   
what type of money he wanted in exchange. It was most definitely the most   
bizarre trip around Hogsmeade, including his first one.   
  
Finally, Malfoy seemed to have finished all his mysterious errands. He   
walked towards a deserted alley-which was quite odd for Hogsmeade, come to   
think of it-and started looking around nervously. It almost made Harry   
nervous to see the normally collected Malfoy looking ruffled. Unconsciously,   
Harry started to move closer to the other boy.   
  
Malfoy had swung his bag around and was sorting through it. After a   
moment, he pulled out the package he'd picked up in the bookstore. He made   
several nervous glances around before securing his bag. He started to unwrap   
the brown paper. Harry, by this point feeling insanely suspicious, was only a   
few feet away.   
  
He threw back the hood of the Invisibility Cloak and reached for Malfoy's   
forearm just before the stunned-looking Slytherin brushed his fingers on the   
now-unwrapped book cover. "Malfoy, what are you-" Harry's words ended   
abruptly as he felt the sickening tug behind his belly button, and the alley was   
once again empty.  
  
  
The moment Harry's feet touched ground again, his wand was out. It   
took him three complete spins around to realize that there was no one else in the   
room except him and Malfoy. Malfoy, whose face was alternating between the   
twin red spots on his cheeks-that only happened when he was furious-and   
deathly palour-Harry had only seen that once, when the eleven year old boy   
had been terrified in the Forbidden Forest. By the time Harry had stopped   
spinning, Malfoy had drawn his wand as well and was pointing it warily at   
Harry. His mouth opened, closed, then opened again. Just as he was about to   
speak, Harry beat him to it.  
  
"What the HELL just happened, Malfoy? Where are we? Portkeys are not   
allowed for students, as a PREFECT you should know that-for this very reason!   
What is going on?" Harry advanced until his wand just brushed Malfoy's chest   
when he inhaled. "Is this some stupid Junior Death Eater plan to kidnap me?   
Because you see to be missing your backup, MALFOY, and I can take you alone."  
  
Malfoy's eyes flared as he answered. "This is your own damn fault,   
POTTER. What could have POSSIBLY possessed you to grab someone who is   
about to Portkey out? And why couldn't I.bloody hell. How would someone   
like YOU get an Invisibility Cloak? That explains, well, a lot.What were you   
THINKING, Potter? What am I going to do now?" The last was all but a   
whisper, and his eyes drifted to the wall behind Harry's head.  
  
"Malfoy. Where are we?" Harry's voice had lowered several decibels.  
  
Malfoy returned his gaze to the dark-haired boy. "That is none of your   
business, because you will not be staying here. Let me just reactivate this   
Portkey and you can just go back to your happy Gryfindork life and forget this   
ever happened."  
  
Harry sneered. "Not a chance, Malfoy. I don't know what you're up to,   
but I WILL find out." He turned partially from the boy, looking at the   
surroundings. They were in a cabin of some sorts. The window to Malfoy's left   
showed several bare tree-tops and a faint glimmer of water in the distance. A   
river, perhaps? A lake? Harry spun swiftly as he heard a rustling from Malfoy.  
  
Malfoy's expression was strangely friendly, which filled Harry with   
dread. He noticed that the book was still held in Malfoy's right hand, still almost   
completely wrapped in the brown paper. Malfoy smiled, just a touch. "No,   
Harry, you won't. Obliviate!" Before the stunned, lost look disappeared from   
Harry's face, Malfoy tossed the book at Harry, wrapper side open. Harry   
automatically reached for it.   
  
Harry looked around. He was standing an alley on the outskirts of   
Hogsmeade. He felt the cold breeze and reached for his Cloak, only to realize it   
wasn't there. Oh, well. He must have left it in his room again. In his hands he   
held a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages, still wrapped in brown paper. Now   
why would I buy this, Harry wondered-I already have two copies? He shrugged. It   
looked nicer than either of his editions, though. He absentmindedly tucked it   
into his bag, wondering who it was he had heard just a moment ago. Although   
he couldn't place it, the voice sounded familiar, and he had a nagging feeling in   
his gut that it had been important. He began to walk towards Madame   
Rosmerta's, all the while the words still running through his head: "Goodbye,   
Potter."  
  
Fin. 


End file.
